


A Cut Above the Ordinary

by Shergar



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Loves Magnus Bane, Insecure Magnus Bane, Loving Husbands, M/M, Magnus Bane's Spellsword, Mornings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:36:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29993283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shergar/pseuds/Shergar
Summary: “You know that thing is still very illegal and very dangerous. Why are you still practicing with it now that you have your magic back?”Alec comes back from patrol one morning to find Magnus practicing with the spellsword.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 3
Kudos: 78





	A Cut Above the Ordinary

**Author's Note:**

> The spellsword returns!
> 
> A follow up to An Elegant Weapon For a More Civilized Age.

Alec got in from patrol a lot later than he had originally intended...or earlier, perhaps, he thought as he frowned at the color that the sky was starting to take. If he was lucky, he’d be able to take a quick shower and climb into bed with Magnus for a few hours before he had to be back at work. There was no rest for the wicked...and therefore no sleep for the Shadowhunters that kept an ever-watchful eye on New York City. That left Alec surviving on coffee and stubborn determination more often than he’d like to admit.

He quietly shut the door behind him and set his bow and quiver by the door. His shoes were the next thing to go - he didn’t need to be tracking ichor, ash, and blood (thankfully, it was mostly not his own) through the loft. His gear would need proper cleaning but that could be dealt with after he himself was clean. He headed back towards the bedroom but froze when something on the balcony caught his eye.

Magnus. 

He was dressed in nothing but loose sweatpants (Alec guessed they were probably  _ his _ ) with a thin layer of sweat across his skin. The sun was beginning to rise behind him as he worked through sword forms - the glowing blue blade of the spellsword currently the brightest thing in the morning sky. 

He was absolutely gorgeous, Alec noted, and entirely dangerous with that thing in his hands.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare or are you going to come give your dashing warlock husband a good morning ‘I’m sorry I’m home so late’ kiss?” Magnus asked, his back still to Alec. He wasn’t surprised that the warlock knew that he was there - Magnus had an uncanny knack for those sorts of things...and he was sure that the wards alerting him to his husband’s presence certainly didn’t hurt either.

Alec hummed, contemplating a witty response but quickly decided that he’d much rather get up close and personal with said dashing warlock. “I was just admiring the view. I can’t help if I’m left shocked and speechless when presented with such a work of art.” Magnus had stilled his sword so Alec gently spun him around and pulled him in for the requested kiss.

“Flatterer,” Magnus whispered as they pulled apart, resting his forehead on Alec’s chest. They didn’t get many moments like this these days - both of them always seemed to be far too busy anymore.

“You love it.” He ran his fingers gently up Magnus’ back, smiling as he felt his husband melt in his arms. They stood there quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the peacefulness of being near each other without any imminent threat lurking about before Alec realized that the blade was still glowing in Magnus’ hand. “You know that thing is still very illegal and very dangerous. Why are you still practicing with it now that you have your magic back?”

He felt Magnus tense in his arms and almost instantly regretted asking the question. He was silent a few more moments before he buried his head tighter against Alec’s chest. “Because I didn’t like feeling powerless” He started, his voice muffled. “Because even when I was at my lowest and I barely recognized myself, the sword still recognized that there was something of Magnus Bane still left in me. I didn’t know who I was anymore but with this blade in my hand, I felt the closest to what I knew as normal that I thought I’d ever feel again. I...don’t want to be faced with that situation again. I’d rather keep up the practice - just in case. It’s better to be prepared than be a fool.”

Alec pulled far enough away that he could look into Magnus’ unglamored eyes - the pain and uncertainty in them clear as day. “You are the farthest thing from a fool...and I told that you were still you. You’ll trust a magical sword and not your very loving husband?”

“We weren’t married at the time, Alexander,” Magnus said with a shaky laugh, taking a few steps back to try and put some distance in between himself and the emotions that were starting to bubble up with the way this conversation was starting to go.

“Fine,” Alec was clearly not done with the topic yet. “You’ll trust a magical sword and not your very loving boyfriend?”

“It’s different...and you know I trust you more than life itself.” He knew that they were both still feeling regrets over everything that came before  _ and _ after Magnus had lost his magic. “Come here,” he said after a moment, breaking the silence that had begun to feel far too uncomfortable and heavy. He deactivated the spellsword and held the hilt out to Alec. The Shadowhunter quickly took a few steps back, his hands coming up in a quick surrender. 

“Oh no, I’m not touching that thing. I don’t want it to explode.” Alec’s eyes were wide and he looked liked he’d rather be anywhere  _ but _ on the balcony right now.

“It won’t explode, I promise.” Magnus’ voice was soft as he continued to hold the decorative metal piece out to his husband.

“You told Simon that it could explode if anyone incompatible used it.” Alec had crossed his arms defensively now, having put as much distance between him and the sword as he could possibly manage while still maintaining the conversation that he was having.

“I told that to Simon so he wouldn’t spend the next six hours going on about Star Wars and providing unnecessary sound effects. And what makes you think you’re incompatible?” Magnus asked, an amused expression on his face.” He drew his hand back and rubbed his thumb carefully over the filigree pattern on the metal.

“Because I’m not a warlock?”

“Alec, relax. Trust your very loving, very dashing, and usually always right warlock husband. Think of this as nothing more than the warlock version of a seraph blade.” It was a fairly accurate comparison, after all. Shadowhunters had their own sort of magic, even if they didn’t typically think of it that way.

“Warlocks can’t wield seraph blades, Magnus.” Alec was no longer trying to inch away from the sword but he was still clearly uncomfortable with having it so close.

“I can.” He couldn’t wield one the same way a Shadowhunter could. A seraph blade would turn red in his hand and would still burn his skin but he  _ could _ use one if it came down to it.

“You’re an exception to the rule,” Alec replied with a scowl.

“And what’s to say the same doesn’t go for you?” Magnus snapped back. “Whose magic is at the core of the blade?”

“Yours, obviously.” They’ve covered this the first time that Magnus had brought the spellsword out. This time, however, there was no Simon to but in and make Star Wars references.

“And my magic recognized  _ me _ even when I was without it and barely knew myself. You might not have magic yourself but do you know what you’re absolutely covered in?” Magnus asked, his voice playful even as the uncertainty in Alec’s face grew.

“...I have a feeling you’re going to tell me,” the shadowhunter muttered under his breath.

“ _ My _ magic, Alec. It’s all over you. It’s plain as day to anyone who can see magic. You have just as much residual magic lingering on you as the loft itself does. And do you what else that means?” It wasn’t  _ just _ residual magic on him but there was a time and a place for the discussion about the little protection spells Magnus had cast after they’d gotten back from Edom...and that time nor place was right then.

Alec blinked, clearly not having considered  _ that _ scenario. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he was apparently covered in Magnus’ magic. If the warlock had to guess he seemed amused...and pleased. He gave another wave of his hand to encourage Magnus to continue. 

“Like calls to like. It always has and it always will. You’ll be able to use the sword because the magic at its core will recognize the magic that it feels on you.” He offered the hilt to Alec once more, knowing that at the very least he’d piqued the Shadowhunter’s curiosity. 

Alec reached his hand out after quickly weighing out the pros and cons of even attempting to hold it and paused one last time before he could grab it. “And you’re  _ sure _ this won’t kill me or explode and take out half of New York in the process?”

“I’m positive. My magic wouldn’t hurt you.” Magnus was fairly certain that his magic would do absolutely anything and everything to make sure the very opposite of that happened.

Alec took the hilt from Magnus and held it tightly, frowning as it remained nothing more than a lifeless metal in his hand. “How do I -” He was cut off as the blade took form almost effortlessly. It looked exactly as it did when it manifested for Magnus - the warlock wasn’t sure exactly  _ what _ he had been expecting but he was a little bit shocked at just how quickly the spellsword responded to Alec’s request. “Oh.”

“See - what did I tell you. No explosions. No instant death.” And that was definitely a relief for them both. Magnus had only been about 98% positive that was going to work the way he thought it would, though he would never admit that to Alec.

He waved his hand and summoned a practice dummy a few feet away. He watched as Alec took a few tentative jabs before launching into a more practiced attack. “This is incredible,” the shadowhunter said after a few moments, pausing in his demonstration to stare down at the bright blue blade in his hand. “There’s like...this electric energy running through me. I feel like I could run twenty miles...like when I activate a stamina rune. Is this how it feels when you use it?”

“Not quite - I’m guessing what you’re feeling is just more magic coursing through you than you’re typically used to. Or...perhaps it is and I’m just so used to it that I don’t notice it anymore.” He hadn’t considered what his magic would feel like to someone who had never been born to it. Sure, Alec had a little of Lorenzo’s magic when he’d gone to Edom to rescue Magnus but...he wasn’t sure the effects of the Alliance rune were anything close to the same thing as innate magic.

“Can I…” Alec paused, trying to choose his next words carefully in the way he did when he was unsure if what he was about to ask was entirely appropriate. “Do you think that I’d be able to use the spells you’ve built into it?”

Magnus hummed and considered the question.  _ Could he? _ It’s not like there was a precedent for a Shadowhunter using a spellsword...but the blade had responded  _ readily  _ to Alec’s request. “It’s possible…the only thing that would be holding you back is that you don’t know how it feels to cast the base spell. If we could find a way to teach you that, I don’t see why you couldn’t. You said the magic feels like using a stamina rune?” Alec nodded. “There’s a fire rune, is there not? That might be a good place to start...but there will be time enough for that later.” 

He pulled Alec into a kiss, his nose crinkling as they broke apart. “Right now I think it’s time for you to take a shower...you reek. What did you even get into tonight? Sewer demons?”

“Nice segue but you do have a point. I was hoping for a shower and a quick nap before I had to be back at work anyway. Care to join me?” The blade on the spellsword disappeared and he handed the hilt back to Magnus.

“As if you even had to ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from another Obi-Wan quote: "This was the formal weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. More skill than simple sight was required for its use. An elegant weapon. It was a symbol as well. Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter—but to use a lightsaber well was a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary."


End file.
